


Seeking Words

by doubtthestars



Series: my heart on my sleeve [3]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Christmas Fluff, Gen, M/M, Platonic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-07
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 10:56:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2579024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doubtthestars/pseuds/doubtthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I think I slept with Manuel Neuer last night." Picking up the phone at five in the morning was not on his wish-list for the day and hearing a whispering Christoph usually meant trouble.</p>
<p>Max was not a morning person.</p>
<p>"Christoph, please tell me you aren't high, because a) I can't believe you did drugs without me to witness it and b) it's the only explanation for your nonsense call. I'll come get you in three hours when I feel like a functioning human being."</p>
<p>"Well, it's gonna take you three hours to get here....please? I'm in Gelsenkirchen."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I blame my best friend for getting me into Neumer. 
> 
> Title comes from Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered(the rufus wainwright version is the one I used to fuel this madness)

He was going to murder Erik, the TV was too loud, and he had way too many margaritas and shots yesterday. He didn't even remember how he got back to the dorms. 

Christoph opened his eyes to artificial light and wondered why they would even be on at this time. Erik usually slept until nine. He smelled icing and tried to remember if he had eaten the cake at the wedding to no avail. Nothing after racing Mats with his dumb goblet seemed to be in his head. He had bumped into--Holy God. 

He had made out with Manuel Neuer. He sat up in shock. Christoph was finally sober enough to figure out that the TV was not on, and he was not in his dorm. He looked around the room and saw a body beside him under the sheet, and suddenly was aware that he didn't have pants on. His shirt was unbuttoned and he didn't have pants on. What had he done? Where the hell was he?

Soft snores came from under the sheet and Christoph prayed the man, because no woman could have that build, was not naked. He wouldn't be able to handle a drunk one night stand with a stranger. He hadn't even been kissed until he was 21, he was not built for no strings attached. Christoph peeled back the sheet to find Manuel Neuer, without a shirt and sleeping on his belly.

He ran for the bathroom and shut it close loudly, wincing at the noise. 

This was worthy of a panic attack. 

Christoph Kramer slept with Manuel freaking Neuer. How did Mats and Benni even know the actor slash model slash god. Shit, he had to find his phone. Chris opened the door slowly, trying to control the noise level of his breathing and peeked outside to see Manuel still sleeping. 

His pants were on the armchair so he quietly tip-toed around the bed to grab them and sprinted into the bathroom again. He sat against the tub and rubbed a hand over his face, hoping to wake up from this weird dream.

He only had one choice. He had to call Max, but first he used his GPS to find out where he was. 

\---

"I think I slept with Manuel Neuer last night." Picking up the phone at five in the morning was not on his wish-list for the day and hearing a whispering Christoph usually meant trouble.

Max was not a morning person.

"Christoph, please tell me you aren't high, because a) I can't believe you did drugs without me to witness it and b) it's the only explanation for your nonsense call. I'll come get you in three hours when I feel like a functioning human being."

"Well, it's gonna take you three hours to get here....please? I'm in Gelsenkirchen." He paused. "And I'm not high. Manuel Neuer was at the wedding. Please, please pick me up. I think Erik abandoned me and I'm not even sure how I got here."

Max pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered why all of his friends wouldn't get themselves cars. Oh right, because they used him as a bloody taxi service. He didn't even want to wrap his head around Manuel Neuer, the love of Christoph's life or his main celebrity crush at the moment being in the same space as he was. 

"I thought the wedding was in Dortmund?" Christoph made a noise over the receiver and answered with a drawn out 'yes'.

Max really couldn't do this right now.

"Why are you whispering?" 

"I'm in the bathroom, of a really nice hotel room that I somehow ended up sharing with Manuel Neuer." Suddenly it hit him. Christoph was not hallucinating or mistaking some poor chump for Manuel Neuer.

"Holy shit, you're not joking. Manuel Neuer really was at the party? How drunk did you get to sleep with Manuel freaking Neuer and not even know it? Only you, Christoph Kramer would jump from 0 to 60, a blushing virgin to banging an actor-supermodel." 

"Shut up, I don't even know what I'm doing. I have to get out of here. At least I have my keys and wallet. I'll meet you across the street from the Garden Spring Suites. I owe you one." 

Max yawned and ended the call. He knew this kid would be trouble from day one. He google-mapped the hotel and figured he could get there in two hours give or take if he broke some laws.

\---

Manuel Neuer woke up at noon to the obnoxious ringtone of Mulan's "I'll Make A Man Out Of You," a lovely surprise from Thomas probably. He felt around in the direction of the vibrating, screeching device and blearily answered the call. 

"Dude, where are you? Your car is here but we can't find you. Benni's been spreading a rumor that you hooked up with someone last night. And Mats is really, really mad at me, and you I guess, for ruining his wedding cake." He didn't remember eating cake, except for frosting? 

Manu squinted in concentration. He had left the party with someone, big blue eyes, the frosting was--oh, now he was awake among other things.

"Do you know who I left with? His name?" He was drawing a huge blank but he remembered snippets of a very good night. Blue eyes had left, as the bathroom door was wide open and he didn't see any other articles of clothing besides his own shirt and socks. He frowned. Not even a note? 

"No, I mean I didn't even see you leave, so no, and Mats and Benni didn't know who it was either. You guys were trying to eat each other's faces. Didn't give them much time to ID the guy." Those lips, wow, he must've asked for a phone number. He wasn't dumb enough to pass up that opportunity. 

"Look, I'll call you back. I have to do stuff." He ended the call with a protesting Thomas and got up to use the bathroom. He scrolled through his phone but found no new contacts, and a draft in his notes, saying 'come away with me-norah jones ;)' 

He never used emoticons. Either he had given his phone to Thomas(not after the last time, no way) or to mystery date number one. But why that song? Norah Jones was not his typical taste in music. Maybe he had heard it last night, though Andre didn't seem to be the type to slip that in for a slow dance. 

In the bathroom, he took a look at himself and figured he didn't need to investigate any further because right at his hip was the name 'Christoph Kramer' in small, slanted letters. 

"Shit," he pressed a finger on the name, maybe it was marker? Nope, it didn't smudge off. He took off the cuff around his wrist and yes, he still had Thomas' atrocious handwriting on his wrist.

Blue eyes was his soulmate. That was going to be interesting to explain.


	2. Waking Up In Vegas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Does anyone know who this kid actually is?" 
> 
> "I could ask Julian, but I don't know him." 
> 
> "Your wedding is worse than a vanity fair party." 
> 
> "I hate you."

They were holding a meeting at Lahm's bakery, because the locale had everything for a good meeting, which meant freshly baked goods. 

"You didn't even call me to tell me, you asshole." Thomas pouted into a cupcake. Manuel was really glad Mats had done a specialty cake because the smell of frosting was still pretty overwhelming to his senses. His skinny latte tasted terrible combined with a lemon bar and not at all like mocha frosting.

"What are you, my mother? I had to take a piss, there happened to be a mirror." Wounded Bambi eyes still judged him. Manu sighed and asked their waitress for a sprinkled donut. Thomas grinned. 

"So how are you going to find this guy?" Manu moved the napkin with the donut towards him. 

"You mean how are we." Thomas grabbed the donut off the napkin and gobbled it up. Manu wished he could do that, but his dietary restrictions and management would probably have a coronary at the thought of a donut. Thomas brushed off some crumbs.

"Okay, we, how are we going to find this guy?" Manu took a sip of his latte. 

"I called Mats." Thomas groaned and whined like a dog. "No, why would you do that? He's still mad at me. I had to do a drive-by mail drop just to deliver the wedding photos. Please don't make me. He might kill me." Manuel rolled his eyes and gave him a pointed look, saying 'whose fault was it but his own for licking the bloody cake before the grooms had cut it.'

"I was drunk. You make out with your soulmate and I happen to swipe some frosting, Lahm's is my weakness. Who even leaves the cake til the end of the wedding? Lisa and I cut it after dinner like normal people." Manu laughed at the use of normal.

"I don't think that was their plan exactly but you still shouldn't have done it." 

"Yeah, asshole, the photos turned out nice though. My mom sends her regards." Mats took a seat on an ironwork chair that should've been uncomfortable but somehow Philipp made it work for his bakery. He was probably a wizard.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Mats raised an eyebrow. A social call two days after his wedding was pretty unusual since everyone had given the newly-weds a wide berth, and they had been putting it to good use. Mats was just a tiny bit glad Marco wasn't living with them anymore. 

"Do you know a Christoph Kramer?" Manu looked intent and Mats found it somewhat scary to be in the focus of that.

"No?" Thomas blinked.

"Does anyone know who this kid actually is?" Kid? Mats got an idea, if this Christoph was younger, he could put out feelers with Julian. Freshmen knew freshmen right?

"I could ask Julian, but I don't know him. Why?" This social call had to be in the top five of the weirdest to date. 

"Your wedding is worse than a vanity fair party." He glared at Thomas, who backed off immediately. 

"I hate you."

"Enough of that, god knows I don't want to see you in the hospital again, Thomas." They all frowned at the mention and Thomas rubbed his knee. Manu had been driving him around and it had been nice to spend more time with his soul-bro but it was starting to grate on his nerves. He could handle being in a car on his own.

"Dude, not funny." Mats nodded, his anger put out like a match in water. He asked the waitress for two slices of chocolate cake to go. 

"Anyway, if that's all you needed, I should get back to Benni. But why don't you look for him on Facebook or something? Kids these days are addicted to some sort of social media platform." Thomas' eyes lit up and he took out his phone. 

"Ha! There he is." Manu almost jumped on top of the table, and snatched the phone out of Thomas' hands. 

Mats looked over his shoulder in curiousity. "Oh, that's Rabbit." Manu had a heart attack as he did some math. 

"He's 23." Thomas shrugged. Manu repeated himself. 

"I'm more concerned with the nickname of Rabbit?" Mats sighed and sat down again. 

"He plays football with us on the weekends. He started coming with Erik who introduced him as Rabbit, I dunno, I guess because of the teeth? Or just the way he startles easily, or maybe because he's really fast? Because he is, at least with a ball." 

23, He really was just a kid. 

"God, Manu get over it. You're not ancient, and I'm pretty sure he's as tall as you, and looks better with facial hair than you do." Thomas snapped his fingers in front of his face. He twitched.

"He's 23." 

Mats took a sip of the forgotten latte and coughed, "Gross." 

"Maybe he likes older men." Manu winced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might expand this some more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christoph doesn't know why he has a stalker who wants to run him over. 
> 
> He didnt think stalkers usually worked like that 
> 
> Or how Thomas got a speeding ticket in the name of true love.

"Wolverine or Scott Summers?" Erik asked over a mouthful of potatoes. Christoph had finally forgiven him(a little) for ditching him at the wedding and leaving him to his own devices even though he was clearly intoxicated and no, it didn't matter that he was making out with a supermodel slash actor. 

It had taken a while to get through that part with Erik who had felt it was paradoxical. Christoph had been fawning over Manuel Neuer since his breakout role in a (terribly cheesy) television show for a story arc that lasted all of six episodes. He was hot, and Chris didn't have a chance against the chosen avatar of Lust who of course turned out to be evil by the end of the season. It was a mediocre death scene and Chris swore off the show after that.

Whatever, Erik couldn't talk about celebrity crushes and neither could Matze. They were both idiots in love who didn't want to admit it and Christoph refused to get involved. He may be openly gay but no one could accuse him of being meddlesome or of match-making. It was their business. He had more important things to do than guide his best friends in their epic (b)romance.

"Neither. I think Storm is the best mutant. She kicks ass and handles Wolverine AND leads the X-men better than Cyclops." Erik gave him a reproachful stare, and Chris gave him a little grin, knowing he had completely missed the point. 

"Neuer as--" Christoph groaned, it was a wonder why Erik was his best friend when Max at least had the decency to not bring up the name of his famous hook-up. 

"No. Next question." Manni dropped his tray of food onto the table loudly, looking like his asparagus had deceived him into thinking they were strawberries.

Ah, the monkey wrench in whatever the Ginter-Durm saga unfolded into. He was sure if Matthias hadn't had a overloaded course schedule, he would be glaring at Sven because Erik lit up like a Christmas tree seeing the better Bender twin.

Chris didn't need network shows, his life was one. 

"Please tell me you know the answer to this, oh master of history." Erik snatched the paper from Manni's hands and read it over. They all shared the class but Erik was wickedly good at remembering the facts of Western Civilization. Chris was more of a maths kind of guy. He liked numbers, he liked formulas, and he really liked white boards.

He wasn't a genius like Matthias who was the youngest of them and seemed to power through classes like others pounded through beers, but it was what he liked and he wasn't too shabby in calculus which was a profound and terrifying mystery to Erik. 

"No, you've got that wrong, the Ottoman Empire conquered it, and you should clean up number seven, you know how Watzke is a stickler for specifics." 

"Art History is so much easier than this. I could tell you what year and how the painter held his brush better than I can go through this stuff." Sven rummaged through his bag for a pen to make corrections. Sven was a fine arts major and had a love affair with charcoal. Their first Christmas together had consisted of silly portraits while getting drunk off of Gluhwein. Chris had a suspicion Sven was the type of drunk that just got more talented, the more drinks they plied him with. 

Like playing a symphony without any lessons sort of drunk.

Chris curled his lip, so maybe Erik had a type, gifted and a big forehead.

"Alright, thanks Erik," Another besotted look. Chris almost lost his appetite, then had a huge realization. Erik was making him a bitter old man. Between his crush on Sven and his bromance with Matthias, Christoph was the odd man out. No wonder Erik had left him with Manuel fricking Neuer.

He was 23, but he felt middle-aged sometimes. 

\---

"No, seriously, I'm pretty sure this guy is stalking me. I'm too young to die by a weirdo." Christoph walked faster, thanking everyone in his family for giving him the tall genes. His legs ate up a lot of terrain in seconds. Max was out with him after classes, acting as a taxi but also, joining him for a clothes shopping outing. Christoph had convinced Max to get some sweaters, because "old man polos" weren't going to cut it for the winter.

Christoph was looking for a new coat and maybe a nice scarf that would keep the cold from freezing his nose off. 

Max looked back quickly, trying to get a good look at the man's face, but they weren't the only ones taking advantage of the nice day to go shopping so he lost him in the crowd.

"Why don't you report it to the police?" Christoph stopped for a second to catch his breath.

"Um, what exactly would I say? Some guys about ye high with a big nose and dark blonde hair is stalking me?" Max caught up to him and looped their arms together, steering him towards the car. Christoph sighed, his search for a nice winter coat would have to continue another day. 

"Yes, obviously, that's what you should do. Who knows if the weirdo has done this before, what if he wants to add you to a collection of bodies. What if he's a serial killer?" Max threw out all of the ideas he could think of. Christoph was sometimes the most mature kid he had met, but then he was so naive. 

They got into the car without a sign of the stalker. 

Christoph cracked his knuckles, nervous all of a sudden. He hadn't thought of it that way. He wasn't even sure. Maybe the guy just happened to be there, and other places. 

"Oh shit." Max cursed, as he turned into a suburban area. Christoph grabbed his seatbelt tightly.

"That red four-door has been following us. I've been making random turns. Get out of the car when I say go." Max gripped the steering wheel, slowing down as school traffic was picking up and buses were dropping children off.

"What? What do you mean get out. Are you crazy!?" He looked back, and saw the skinny stalker in the car, but he wasn't driving. They were behind a few cars and he couldn't get a good look. Were they ransomers? 

"Wait, wait. there's someone else in the car." Max was almost at a halt. "No time, run by the crowds, cut across yards, hide and I'll call you as soon as I lose them. GO!" Chris threw off his seatbelt and opened the car door in a flash, sprinting into the crowd of teenagers and children. Max saw the car reverse through his mirror. He threw his car into gear, squeezing forward and tracking Christoph's movement. He turned right to cut off the chasing car and parked it.

The driver jumped out of the moving car and started running after Christoph. The stalker quickly jumped into the driver's seat, yelling at the other guy. Max had done track in school. He was sure he could catch up.

Christoph started yelling, as he passed a cluster of people. "Help! They're chasing me!" 

He was stopped in his tracks by the wall of solid muscle that made up Manuel Neuer. 

"Let me go, there's a maniac after me," He struggled in Neuer's grip and didn't even see Max come from the left to tackle the taller man onto the ground. Sirens sounded and a crowd was forming and Manuel Neuer rolled around with Max. 

"Stop, Max, that's not the stalker!" Christoph pulled the other man off the angry Neuer. "He was in the car!" Max shouted ripping his arm out of Chris' grip. Manuel Neuer got up like a predator, and Chris thought he would need the cops before the two men got into a fistfight.

"Who the hell are you?" The model spat out.

"Maximilian Kruse, asshole. What's your problem? You can't get a date so you wanna kidnap Christoph?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to write action-y scenes.


	4. Something Good Can Work Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You took a bribe in the name of warmth." 
> 
> "The coat is innocent. The briber is the guilty party in this." 
> 
> or Getting His Soulmate to be in the same room with him is harder the Manu thinks.

They were all ushered into the police station and Manu knew he was going to hear it from his agent. Instead of getting some rest for his next screen-test, he was taking a joy-ride with Thomas. Oliver might actually kill him if this broke out into a scandal.

"Look, this is all a misunderstanding. He's my soulmate." A 'what' rang through the precinct from Max and Christoph. He ripped off his cuff like it was on fire. There wasn't a name. Christoph glared accusingly at Manuel. Bond marks weren't something you joked about and the actor had hired someone to stalk him? Celebrity crushes were overrated.

Though the shock on Neuer's face was a little too real for Christoph to dismiss completely. Max scoffed and Thomas was confused. Manuel lifted his shirt and sweater up and unbuckled his belt. An officer moved to contain him. He had had enough streakers and drunks in his lifetime to last him for double that.

"Wait, I can prove it. This is his name." He tugged down his jeans slightly. The officer looked at the other man who was looking peaky enough to warrant concern. The woman in uniform decided to pull him aside and sit him down.

"You know you're still within your rights to press charges, even as bondmates." Christoph shook his head. "Could I get a cup of water?" He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be a fake, he barely remembered that night, much less if he had said his name. It would be silly to want to be bonded to someone like him, stalking aside, he didn't think Manuel Neuer would go to those lengths. All of his fears were realized in that moment, Christoph didn't have a mark and Manuel did. He was unmarked.

The cop left him alone for a moment to get that promised water and Chris almost wanted to cry. 

His parents had prepared him for the possibility, both being unmarked yet Christoph had stubbornly held on to the dream of finding a name. The doctors had said it was a genetic anomaly that was present in both his parents so it could well be passed down to him, but Christoph refused to give up. It was up in the air for him, a unmarked couple having a child was too rare for any of the specialists to be completely sure. 

Now they knew, as he rubbed the blank skin on his wrist. 

"Do you want to press charges?" The officer came back. Christoph swallowed the contents of the paper cup in a minute. "No, I just want to go home. I don't want to see him." The dull, defeated tone gave the officer pause. She would usually pursue the case but her instincts told her to let the kid go. 

"Okay, your friend is waiting outside. _He's_ not out yet. I'll get a squad car to drive you back to your car." Christoph nodded, his head hanging. He needed to go back home and make appointments, talk to his parents. 

At least the winter break was coming up. He wouldn't leave his studies for a conclusion he had been fighting all of his life.

\---

"I swear I'm never going to talk to you again if we go to jail. I'm not built for jail. I have a wife. I don't want to eat gruel. I'm not pretty enough to be taken care of in jail." Manu ignored his babble. There were two problems on his mind. Christoph not having his name and that Max character. He wanted to wring that guy's neck for interfering. 

Okay, he knew stalking was illegal, but it wasn't his intention. Manuel was flying out of the country for a role in a independent film set in Spain and he had asked Thomas to find out more about his soulmate. It had gotten out of hand, he could admit, but what was the guy's deal? Was he involved with Christoph? 

His soulmate couldn't be that oblivious. 

"You're free to go, but Mr. Muller will still get a ticket for speeding and a fine for obstructing traffic in a school zone." Thomas' jaw dropped. "But I-" 

"C'mon Thomas, I need to talk to Christoph." He practically hauled his friend out of his chair. The woman stopped him with a hand.

"Mr. Kramer has already left and I advise you that if you try anything funny again, I will recommend a restraining order." It was Manuel's turn to protest. 

"It was a misunderstanding, believe me, I didn't think my best friend would end up being so obvious." Thomas held back his tongue, knowing he would get back at him later for it. Lisa would help him after telling her the story, or maybe he should just keep it to himself on better thought. 

Though he did end up with a ticket and a fine, when Lisa had strictly forbidden him from driving. Damn it, this was all Manu's fault. 

The officer let them leave with a look of disdain and Manuel looked around, hoping she was wrong about Christoph already being gone(probably with _Max_ ) He picked up the cuff still laying on the floor, noticing it wasn't customized with anything special, made of a thick burgundy wool and suede on the inside. He put it in his coat pocket. 

"You're an asshole." Thomas hissed, jabbing him in the ribs with his frankly alarmingly bony elbow. Manu wasn't sure how Thomas stayed so skinny with his eating habits.

"I didn't tell you to stalk him, Thomas. I thought you were going to look up his profile or something." Thomas slapped a hand to his forehead and growled in annoyance.

"That profile was like two years old. He hadn't updated it since he graduated. I saw he got accepted to university. I looked around and got lucky, saw him come out of a building. I didn't think he would notice me if it was in a crowded place." Manuel gave him a look, and Thomas waved the ticket in his face.

"You're paying for this, and you're telling Lisa. I'm on thin ice as it is." Manuel frowned at the mention of Thomas' soulmate.

"He didn't have my name, Thomas." The lanky man sighed, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere without addressing the worry on Manu's face. 

"It could be somewhere else?" But he had seemed surprised, he hadn't known about it, and Manuel wasn't sure when it had appeared in the span of the night of the wedding. His soulmate couldn't be that oblivious, could he?

\---

Christoph had checked and double-checked, he didn't have Manuel Neuer's name on him. He had been disappointed but then he had gotten angry at the famous man. He kept sending gifts to his dorm. His Resident Director was getting fed up with it and everyone on his floor if not the whole dorm knew about it.

"Flowers again?" Erik sneezed as he entered the room in his mid-afternoon break. Christoph looked apologetically up from his screen where he was aggressively typing up a lab report before his class started.

"I'll get them out of here as soon as I get this done." He was lucky the science and engineering building was so close to their dorm, so he wouldn't even have to hurry to get to class on time.

"S'okay. I'm gonna take a nap." Erik rubbed his nose and dropped his bag at his desk. The boy really loved his sleep, but then again, he stayed up late to play games and whisper sweet nothings in the form of gloating and insults to Matze. Christoph would think they were miles away each other instead of in different dorms.

Though Matthias _was_ constantly busy and with this Neuer business, Christoph really hadn't seen him around much. 

He rubbed his wrist as it twinged in pain. It was bare. He had stopped using the cuffs as there wasn't a point to it anymore. It had been a holdover on Chris' wish to be normal. His parents hadn't ever worn cuffs in public, getting strange looks as others noticed the blank space. It didn't bother them, but Chris was in school, and people were starting to notice. 

His dorm-mates had started spreading the gossip of the gift deliveries to others, and he knew that held back a lot of the curious stares but Christoph wasn't sure when the other shoe would drop. Most of the dorm assumed he just had another placement, but he dreaded any of them asking about it. 

Erik had cocooned himself in his comforter to ward away the cold. Christoph hadn't ventured out to get a new coat yet and it was getting chillier. His old one was fine with a sweatshirt under it but it was missing buttons and one of the pockets had a hole. 

Maybe he would ask for one as his Christmas present from his parents, instead of the customary money and food to take back to school with him.

A knock at the door made him jump up to answer it quickly, looking at his alarm clock. He still had some minutes to mosey over to the science building but he would be cutting it close. He checked if Erik had woken up, but there was no movement to indicate that he heard the knock.

"Kramer, open up." That was his RD. Chris opened the door to find himself looking at a brand new coat from a designer he couldn't afford. Was Neuer psychic?

"This one came with a note." He shoved it all at him and stomped down the steps, mumbling to himself. Chris stroked the lapels of the coat. It was black, a cut he knew would be flattering for his height and build. It looked perfect and Christoph couldn't throw this away like the flowers and sweets. It was practically a work of art you could wear. 

He opened the envelope to take a small note out. 

"I'm going away for a while, but I wanted you to have this as an early holiday gift. Please forgive Thomas for being stupid and forgive me for adding to that stupidity. I didn't mean to scare you. Please call me." He had left his phone number below his name and Chris felt a pang of envy or sorrow at seeing Manuel's handwriting on the paper. 

He had to take out the flowers and print out his paper. He was late to class anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you know a little more about Christoph's background. Next up is Manuel's story and why he is so darn fixated.


	5. Sweater Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Manu, don't be an idiot. Fame is just one part of you. Show him the other parts of you too."
> 
> The line went silent for a moment. "You're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oliver Kahn is the Wolverine of my heart.

Manuel Neuer was sitting in a jetplane, going to Spain and spending most of his holiday on set. It wasn't a big part, but he had taken it for the complexity of the character. There were a handful of scenes to portray a deeply morose player in the slice of life flick. Oliver had kept his opinion to himself for the most part, scoping out another opportunity to put Manuel on the map. 

"Don't think I don't know about your little stint with Thomas, stalking Manuel? You're lucky none of those kids decided to take their phones out to record it." Manuel tensed. He had been waiting for a call, but nothing had come. After a good night's rest and a sobering conversation with his grandmother, he had rethought his perspective on the matter. 

"I'm sorry Oliver, I wanted to...know more about him. It wasn't much of a plan. Actually, I pretty much made a mess out of the whole thing." 

"Kid, life is messy. It's never going to be smooth-sailing with soulmates." Oliver shrugged, done admonishing his charge who looked guilty of treason instead of getting into a tussle and accidentally stalking someone(he blamed that Muller kid for that shenanigan.) 

Manuel picked at a thread of his shirt and tried not to fidget. Christoph had made it clear he didn't want to see him. He touched the cuff inside his coat pocket. It was selfish to keep it instead of mailing it back with the flowers or the sweets, but Manu didn't have anything else to remind him of Christoph that wasn't a memory. A few scattered sense memories and the police station didn't add up to much. Though he had remembered why Norah Jones was in his notes.

Oliver cleared his throat and closed his eyes to give Manuel some more quiet as his company.

"Hey, I just landed, calling to check in." Marcel coughed with a cold that was making rounds back home.

"Is it sunny? Is it warm?" Manuel laughed. "You know it's night right now. How would it be sunny? It's not cold yet though. How's Oma?" Marcel took another second to hack out a lung and sniffle.

"I can dream, can't I? She's fine. Has a stronger constitution than I do apparently. When are we going to meet your mysterious soulmate? God knows Oma loves Thomas to bits but it's not the same as your _actual_ soulmate." Manuel felt his hackles raise at Marcel's easy dismissal of his platonic bondmate. It wasn't meant to be a slight against Thomas but he had dealt with enough of those sort of comments in the past couple of years. 

Even if Thomas let it slide off his back like water, Manuel never tolerated it. He had a special bond with his best friend that meant as much as a romantic soulmate's would. In fact, he would argue it was doubly special since Thomas really was one of a kind. He had known Thomas longer than Christoph. Manuel wasn't just going to shove away everything that had happened in the interim of waiting for his romantic bondmate to show up. 

"Thomas is my actual soulmate. If Lisa didn't butt in to sweep him off his feet with her horses and awesome cooking, I would still bring him to our Christmas dinner, Marcel." He softened the force of his voice by joking. 

"Okay, okay. Point taken. You know he's always welcome, especially since you're the one we're going to be waiting for this year." Manuel frowned at the reminder that he was going to be so far away from his remaining family until the weekend after Christmas. He had stashed his presents(besides Thomas', that one he left with Bene for safekeeping) at Thomas and Lisa's house. Oliver's presents was in his suitcase, a nice pair of noise-canceling headphones and a Die-Hard collection mostly as a gag from Thomas. 

He wasn't even sure if Oliver owned a DVD player, much less liked action films. Manu would bet that Oliver had some sort of secret fondness for film noir. He seemed like the type to own a movie projector, but Manuel had never been able to confirm it.

"I don't know if Christoph will show up. It's been a difficult situation. I don't know how to get him to talk to me." Manuel admitted he was at a loss with Christoph. He couldn't apologize in person obviously, but had left the ball in his court so to speak. He reflexively looked at his phone before holding it back up to his ear.

"Manu, don't be an idiot. Fame is just one part of you. Show him the other parts of you too. This guy is getting showered with gifts that anyone could buy with enough money in their pocket. You have to get him to look beyond the celebrity. No one wants to jump into something like this without having some sort of assurance they're not the only ones taking a chance. You're a hotshot model looking to break into acting. He's a college student. It's a weird situation for him no doubt."

"You're right. I think I have an idea."

\---

Chris got a bundle of photographs from Manuel the last day of the semester for him. They ranged from childhood family photos to candid shots of Manuel on a recent vacation from the looks of it. It wasn't an overly large stack maybe about thirty photographs in the manila envelope. The envelope had a return address in Gelsenkirchen but the letter inside did not.

Erik didn't say anything about the photos after the blow up Max had over the coat. Christoph had taken to wearing it out. It was a Christmas present anyway, the coat had no blame in the situation. 

"Still mooning over the letter? Secret's safe with me, but man, I think you're going to memorize it at this point." Erik still had a final on Monday and they were going to have their holiday party on Tuesday with Julian providing the food and Mats bringing some drinks as payment for a favor Erik had done him. 

Christoph flushed a bit, not wanting to admit that he had parts of it stored in his memory already. His friend Lena had said it was straight out of Pride and Prejudice. A long letter dedicated to clearing up a misunderstanding and making Christoph realize his first impression, or second really, wasn't all that Manuel Neuer had to his story. 

"Is Matze going to join us for dinner?" Chris tried to deflect and evade. Erik smiled and nodded, landing on his bed with a hard bounce. 

"Yeah, he just texted me to save him a seat. His lab final is tonight so he's basically gonna eat and run." Christoph shook his head and put the letter back in his desk.

"Why don't you just set a tray for him? You probably know what he's going to eat anyway. It'll save him time." He offered dryly, Matze had back to back finals on Tuesday morning and Christoph knew the kid was stretching himself thin as it was. Chris had seen the tacked up study schedule Matze had made for himself when he picked up a sweatshirt that had ended up on loan for the last couple of months.

It was a multicolored mess that left gaps of time only to eat and sleep. Erik had been forcing him to spend his meals with them to make sure he was actually eating and not just saying he was.

"A peanut butter sandwich with an apple isn't enough. I checked with Jules. He had a nutrition class and stuff." Sven had been busy with an installation, but Julian Draxler had become the source of reason for Erik these past couple of weeks. It was fishy. Not that the two weren't close, but there wasn't a peep of Manni from Erik in a while. 

"Well, we're not getting a four star meal in this place unless you bribe Julian and he's already cooking for the party, so don't. You can't force him to eat more, unless you hand feed him." Christoph silently laughed as he imagined it. 

Erik pouted, "stop making fun of my concern for my friend's well-being. I didn't even tell him about the letter. That's how much of a secret it is." He raised an eyebrow at Erik's confession. 

"Alright, alright. Thanks, Erik. You think Max will flip out about it?" 

"Maybe, if he knew you were reading it for the last two days now." Christoph made a sour face. That made it seem like Max was jealous and it wasn't like that with them. He was just overprotective.

Erik glanced at his wristwatch. "Come on, I wanna snag a table early." He rolled his eyes.

"Matze won't get out of class earlier if we get to the dining hall earlier."

He still grabbed his ID and coat at the other boy's impatient look. He kept thinking about the letter. Manuel had told him about Thomas and his (sometimes) dumb ideas, how his parents were dead so he had Oliver and his Oma. How hard it was to have a platonic when the world only seemed to value a romantic bondmate and how his brother had given up a lot to take care of their grandmother while Manuel felt like an ass for trying to pursue his dreams when Marcel had already done so much. 

It was a soul-bearing letter that had changed Christoph's mind about his soulmate. 

He had saved Manuel's number on his phone, but hadn't had the willpower to call it. Maybe he would when he got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a been a month, dear god. I'm sorry life got in the way, plus I spent a good chunk of time agonizing over where I wanted this to go. And I finished another segment of this soulmate AU.
> 
> Also, this story is now in real time, since Manu would totally be on set currently and Christoph's semester would be ending this week. haha.
> 
> I'm hoping to finish this by christmas!


	6. Have A Merry Little Christmas

Christoph was woken up by Erik like a little kid on Christmas, except he didn't have a gigantic grin on his face. It was still dark out. Christoph squinted at his alarm clock. It was three in the morning, entirely too early to be shaken awake by his roommate.

"Whaywant?" Erik flicked the lights on. He shielded his eyes from the onslaught but it was in vain. The light was evil and determined to hurt him. "Erik, whyyy?" He groaned out wanting to hide under his comforter. Erik shifted on the edge of his bed. His desktop was still blaring and flashing with whatever game he was playing late in the night. Chris rubbed his eyes, knowing he wasn't going to get any sleep after this. 

"I think I'm hallucinating." Erik slapped a hand to his face, and Christoph blinked at the ceiling before taking a deep breath and assessing the situation.

"What's wrong?" He tried to stay in his cocoon of warmth, but had to lay on his side to face Erik. He couldn't win.

Erik burst into chatter like a levy caving under the pressure. Christoph caught the words: "kiss, Manni, Matze, game, soulmates." He sat up in his bed. 

"Hold on, hold on, slow down, take some deep breaths." He checked his phone for any messages and found one from his mom and three from Matze. 

'is erik freaking out?' 

'tell him it doesn't matter.' 

'shit i'm sorry. this is bad.'

Chris fired off a reply after checking the time stamp of three minutes ago. These idiots really didn't want him to sleep in peace. He sent another message to Manni, "wat did u do?" 

Erik was splotchy and red, taking in more air than he probably needed. "IkissedManniyesterdayafterhisexhibit andLarstoldHunterwhotoldMatze--" Christoph had a little cousin who liked to run her sentences together and had perfected his ability to decipher the language. It had finally happened, the Ginter-Durm saga had ended in chaos because of Manni and he was as always, stuck in the middle.

"O-kay, Erik, try it a little slower." He ran a hand through his hair. 

"Matze said he loved me!" Erik's eyes bulged out like a lemur. _Yeah, Matze, he is freaking out._ Christoph got out of his bed and patted Erik's back. The younger boy seemed to be frozen until Chris laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Dude, this can't be real right?" A nudge by his thigh made Chris look down at the other boy's bare wrist. Matthias Ginter neatly printed across it in thin letters made Christoph's eyebrows shoot up. 

They met eyes and Christoph slowly nodded, almost moving his other hand to keep Erik from leaving but thinking better of it.

"How? This doesn't make any sense. We met forever ago. That's not how the marks work right? It's instantaneous like love at first sight or whatever." Erik rubbed at his wrist. Christoph's phone chimed with a text and made him jump. 

"Okay, I mean, I know sometimes it's a delayed effect...but this is--does Matze know?" Erik did a cross between a spasm and a flail,

"I don't know. What the fuck am I going to do? I finally decided to go for Manni and then this happens? What the fuck? What. the. fuck?" Erik's voice got higher as he went on. Christoph started laughing. Erik barely ever cursed and it was three in the morning. His roommate found his soulmate right in front of him and he was freaking out at three in the morning the day of their christmas party where everyone involved was going to show up. He tried to stop laughing but he started crying from the exertion.

"Oh my god, Erik." He kept chuckling. 

"It's not funny!" Christoph poked him and Erik started smiling, "It's not!" 

"I can't stoooop," He felt a little hysterical. His phone beeped again. Erik grabbed the pillow behind him and hit him in the face. Christoph dropped onto the bed and yanked Erik down to his level. He put on a serious face, trying to gather his thoughts. 

"Be real with me, did you screw up the courage to kiss Manni because you thought the thing with Matze wouldn't happen?" Erik wrinkled his nose as he faced him, swinging his knees off the bed in nervousness. 

"Yeees? Maybe? I mean I didn't think about it that way." Christoph poked Erik's forehead. Honestly, what was the boy thinking when he landed in this mess. His stomach hurt from laughing so much but Erik didn't look like he was going to spontaneously combust anymore.

"I like Manni, but Matze is Matze. He's my best friend." Erik doesn't seem confused so much as distinguishing lines Christoph knew were pretty much arbitrary. A soul mark, no matter how odd the case wasn't temporary. He scratched at his jaw to give himself some time. 

He didn't want to discourage the Manni pursuit but he had also been through the saga from the beginning. Manni was just a roadblock.

"I'm not an expert in all this, but I do know there shouldn't be a 'but' in that sentence. If you liked him enough, there wouldn't be anyone in the world that could stop it from happening except for you not acting on it you know? There shouldn't be another person involved, especially when that person is your soulmate because that's not magic marker on your wrist. Who cares if the name appeared late? All I know is Matze is freaking out and you're freaking out and you should definitely get your ass out of my bed and go talk to him, at least to clear some things up before the party." Erik stares at him with wide eyes and his phone goes off again to emphasize his point. 

"Right now?" Christoph unlocks his phone and looks at the time. 

"I'm sure you can make it there before the sun rises. Waiting until the party will help no one and get nothing done." Erik bites his lip in worry. Chris pushes at his shoulder.

"Come on, you can do this. Don't forget your jacket. I'll tell him you're on the way so he can't escape." Erik takes a deep breath and stands up, putting his monitor to sleep and grabbing a sweatshirt. 

"Okay, okay, thanks." Christoph nods and gives him a thumbs up. 

He texts Matze: 'I'm rooting for you crazy kids. #teammatze'

\---

In the aftermath of another memorable Christmas party, the warmth of alcohol in his stomach makes him sentimental. The coat ends up on his lap with Ilkay's head resting on top of it. Christoph blames all the pheromones of their new couple for the phone ringing in his hand. He is praying to any god he can think of that Neuer doesn't pick up. 

"You should just hang up, Christoph. It's your phone, take control, don't let skynet win." He mutters to himself. Illkay sleeps like the dead but Hunter is looking at him blearily from the floor. 

"By the power of Thor's hammer and Odin's beard, don't pick up, just let me leave a voicemail so I can--heyyy," He winces at his overly peppy tone. The machine isn't even personalized beyond a 'Manuel Neuer' and he tries to not be disappointed.

"It's Christoph, you know, um...from the wedding. I was just checking? uh, seeing if the number worked, anyway, you said you wouldn't be around for Christmas so I wanted to thank you...for the coat. It's nice. yeah, Happy Christmas, early Christmas, right." He slaps a hand on his forehead and ends the call. Hunter is ignoring him by flopping onto his side. His gut is burning, his face is burning. It was his last chance before going back home to call. 

It would be awkward to call his not-soulmate around his parents. He wasn't even sure how to broach that conversation. It would be bad enough to have to sit and talk to doctors about it. Would they want proof of the mark? Eyewitness may not be enough, but then again, it was something private between them, even if it was anomaly. 

Christoph rubs at his eyes. It was a pipe dream to think it could ever work out with Manuel Neuer. So why did it hurt so much to say it out loud?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont really have an excuse for taking this long. but uh, ralphcjk, here you go. there's possibly a chapter or two left to wrap this up. I can't guarantee anything time-wise, but if anyone's out there still reading, here's something at least.


	7. give me one good reason

Christoph is half naked when the doctor pats his shoulder in congratulations. The interest in his claim got him a spot in the doctor's office before Christmas and subsequently made Chris rethink his misery in the last couple of days. 

"There's nothing to worry about, Christoph, it's a little faint, almost like a melanin deficiency or a freckle..." the doctor keeps rambling until all he hears is white noise because it had been a struggle to accept he couldn't have a soulmark and now, now his world was turned upside down. He tried to twist this way and that to see the mark but gave up the fruitless endeavor, asking for a mirror from the nurse who had replaced the doctor in his haze. 

"That's quite a Christmas present, Mr. Kramer." She smiles and Christoph's heart bursts with relief. He half-expected it to be a figment of the doctor's imagination. The bondmark was faint, a light brown like the scattering of freckles on his shoulders when he went out in the sun for too long. The looping script of Manuel Neuer is right above the edge of his shoulder blade. Christoph felt immensely stupid for never thinking of checking his back. 

There was no cause to run around shirtless especially during the beginning of winter. 

He had to call Manuel. He had to tell his parents. Hell, he would post it on facebook. Christoph Kramer actually bonded, with a mark and everything. His face hurt from the pull of his grinning mouth. 

\--

Manuel received the call around midnight, half asleep already from the exhausting day. The caller ID made him rethink his first instinct of letting it ring. 

"Christoph?" His clears his roughened voice, grabbing the glass of water he left at his bedside. He's left dribbling water at the news. The excited jabber on par with Thomas talking about horses or Lisa. If his heart could light up, he was sure he could rival a Christmas tree at this very moment. 

They were still getting to know each other by phone calls and texts but Manu knew what he knew, was certain in his bond. He understood how hard it was for Christoph, with unmarked parents and having the scare of not being able to carry a name, but this just made it all the better. His soulmate with his name on his back. He almost laughed. 

"We're a couple of odd ones." He thinks out loud. Christoph does laugh, and Manu thinks it might be the best Christmas present he has ever heard. 

"I wish I could see you right now." It's wistful, then he remembers there was more than one reason Christoph was going to call. The dinner with his family was still left in the open. Chris feeling bashful even with Thomas being invited (so he technically knew someone at the get-together.) The thought of getting to unwrap his soulmark along with the rest of his presents sends a thrill down his spine. 

Their first night together had been a product of alcohol but the next time would be better he promised himself. Finding his soulmate had only been the tip of the iceberg for Manuel Neuer, new and improved. 

"I have no idea how I'll get to your house for the dinner party." Christoph says quietly. Manuel doesn't breathe for a second. His heart thudding loud enough to wake up his neighbors. 

"Let me figure that out. Just be ready to go when I call." 

\--

The snow had delayed his flight and set back the dinner another day, but Manuel didn't waste any time renting a car to pick Christoph up.

"It's really hot in here." Christoph wiggles in the passenger seat, fiddling with the stations on the satellite radio. His dark green sweater along with the pea coat and his nerves was making him sweat in the toasty car. Manuel was in slacks and a light blue button down which should've been boring but Christoph's eyes could not stop drifting towards him. He didn't think his face was fire-truck red yet, but it was probably getting there.

"I can turn it down." His fingers were already on the knob before Christoph answered. 

"Thanks." His mind was still stuck on how appropriate it would be to ask him to pull over to see his bondmark, because the first time had been quick and shocking. Christoph had practically fantasized about seeing it again. The older man had heeded his pace and respected his wishes after the whole stalking incident, but Christoph was half-scared he would break his own rules just to get a peek at his name on Manu's skin. 

"Is your brother feeling any better?" He tries to distract himself by being polite.

"Yeah, he's a big baby when he's sick but then acts like it never happened when he's gotten over it." Manuel shrugs with a half-smile, the fondness between siblings evident on his face.

He reaches out for his hand, and Christoph lets him, finally feeling his nerves lessen.

"Is this okay?" Manuel finds his eyes for a moment. He nods. The radio plays a slow song, cheerful enough for the holiday but thankfully not a Christmas song. _dreaming of you..._

They hold hands for the rest of the ride.

"Thomas, close the door." Lisa shakes her head in amusement at the excitement displayed on her husband's face. "You're going to let the elves in and the snow." He jumps up throwing his arms into the air as he spots the car. The Neuers were accustomed to the couple's antics and strange conversations but they couldn't help giving into the spreading cheer at the new, hopefully permanent guest of the family dinner. 

"Father Christmas is here with his new bride to be!" Thomas whoops. Manuel rolls his eyes, almost shielding Christoph with his body from the menace he called a platonic soulmate. 

"Hi," He gives a little wave, luggage still in hand. Christoph had insisted in helping. After all, having to pick him up straight after landing hadn't been the original plan and he felt a bit bad for not bringing anything for the hosts besides Manuel's photographs and himself. The snow had buried their house and made it difficult to do anything but bundle up. 

"Hellooo, little rabbit. This is my lovely wife, Lisa. That's Oma, and Marcel stuffing his face with stolen cookies." Thomas points to which the rest of them look at Marcel who had indeed stolen a cinnamon cookie from the cooling tray in the kitchen. Manuel tells Christoph to leave the suitcase behind and wraps an arm around his shoulders to steer him closer to the waiting congregation of Neuers and honorary Neuers. 

"Christoph, meet my family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That a wrap folks. They obviously spend the rest of the winter break/holidays canoodling.

**Author's Note:**

> This is tied into my other story Unsuspected Paths but I think it works as a standalone. Thomas and Manu are platonic soulmates in this universe if that wasn't clear.


End file.
